LA 

.^c/L /\ <5" i DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 



BUREAU OF EDUCATION 



BULLETIN, 1919, No. 68 



FINANCIAL AND 

BUILDING NEEDS OF THE 

SCHOOLS OF LEXINGTON, 

KENTUCKY 




WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 

1919 







Class L /4£ 9 4- 

Book -L 4-/4 l5 

J'f/f — 



DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

BUREAU OF EDUCATION 



BULLETIN, 1919, No. 68 



SI 



FINANCIAL AND 

BUILDING NEEDS OF THE 

SCHOOLS OF LEXINGTON, 

KENTUCKY 




WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 

1919 



OyKJ, 2. 



q4- 






ADDITIONAL COPIES 

OT THIS PUBLICATION MAT BE PROCURED FROM 

THE SUPERINTENDENT OF DOCUMENTS 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 

WASHINGTON, D. C. 

AT 

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0, of »• 

OCT 22 S91i 



CONTENTS. 

Page. 

Letter of transmittal 5 

Letter to the board of education and superintendent of schools 7 

Introduction , 9 

Chapter I. Financing the school department of Lexington : 

1. The proportionate amount which Lexington expends upon her 

schools , 9 

2. Lexington's per capita expenditure on schools, compared with 

cities of her class 12 

3. Lexington's tax rate 13 

4. Lexington's taxable wealth 13 

5. Lexington's investment in school buildings and her bonded in- 

debtedness 15 

6. Lexington's accomplishment in spite of handicaps 16 

7. Salaries of school employees 17 

8. Additional needs , 24 

9. Increase of funds imperative requiring legislative action 24 

Chapter II. An analysis of the building problem : 

The building problem stated - 26 

Present school congestion greatest in four schools 27 

What should be done to meet present school needs? 28 

New buildings 29 

Temporary accommodations in newly developing districts 32 

Reorganization of existing schools on work-study-play plan 32 

Principles of multiple use makes modern educational facilities finan- 
cially practicable 37 

Flexibility of the program 38 

The school takes over the street time of the child 38 

Teachers required 39 

The junior high school 40 

New buildings and facilities provided under traditional plan of 

school organization and under work-study-play plan 41 

Summary 43 

Chapter III. The care of buildings and of equipment : 

Janitor service 44 

Heating 45 

Ventilation 45 

Floors 46 

Blackboards 46 

Lighting of classrooms 46 

Toilets 48 

Color of walls 48 

Larger playgrounds and sites for buildings 49 

Drinking fountains . 49 

School desks 49 

Planning school buildings 50 

3 



LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL. 



Department of the Interior, 

Bureau of Education, 

Washington, September 25, 1919. 

Sir: I am transmitting herewith for publication as a bulletin of 

the Bureau of Education the report of a partial survey of the schools 

of the city of Lexington, Ky. This has been made under my direction 

at the request of the board of education and the superintendent of 

schools of the city of Lexington. 

Respectfully submitted. 

P. P. Claxton, 

Commissioner. 

The Secretary of the Interior. 

5 



LETTER TO THE BOARD OF EDUCATION AND SUPER- 
INTENDENT OF SCHOOLS. 



Department of the Interior, 

Bureau of Education, 

Washington, September 25, 1919. 

To the Board of Education and the Superintendent of Schools, Lex- 
ington, Ky.: 

I am transmitting herewith, with my approval, the report of the 
committee appointed by me at your request to make a study of the 
financial and building needs of the public schools of Lexington. 

The report shows that there is immediate and urgent need for new 
permanent buildings, temporary or movable buildings, and repairs, 
which, at present prices of material and labor, will cost not less 
than $400,000, and that there will in the immediate future be need 
for other permanent buildings to house the rapidly increasing school 
population of the city. The report also shows clearly the need for 
considerable increase in the budget for current expenses, because of 
the increase in school population and the absolute necessity for in- 
crease in the pay of teachers and janitors to prevent lowering of 
standards and degeneration in the quality of work, and to make pos- 
sible the constant improvement in the efficiency of the schools which 
the people of Lexington and the welfare of city, State, and Nation 
demand. 

The facts presented in Chapter I of the report indicate that this 
increase in the annual budget for the schools can be made without 
imposing an unusual burden on the taxpayers of the city. 

It should require no argument to induce the people of Lexington 
to respond promptly and fully to all these needs. The mere presen- 
tation of the facts should be sufficient. They know the value of 
education for individual welfare and happiness, good citizenship, 
and material prosperity. Their children are their first interest. 
All they have they would gladly give for their safety and welfare. 
All the wealth of the present generation which they do not them- 
selves consume will be used by or for their children, or left to the 
children when their parents are gone. It is only a question of 
whether it shall be wisely used now for the health and comfort of 
the children and for their better education and preparation for 

7 



8 LETTER TO BOARD OF EDUCATION AND SUPERINTENDENT. 

life, or whether it shall finally be left for the doubtful use of those 
to whom these vital things have been denied in their childhood. 

To pay for the new buildings herein recommended and to make 
the necessary repairs on the old buildings will require an issue of 
bonds which is, I understand, now contemplated. There are no 
doubt in Lexington some who will oppose this use of bonds on the 
plea that a city should not incur debt, but should pay as it goes 
and do without the things for which it can not pay cash. And, 
indeed, no city, county, or State should, barring cases of great 
emergency, issue bonds on the future except for such purchases or 
improvements as will be of permanent benefit, a policy which has 
generally been followed in this country. 

If, however, bonds may justly be used for any purpose whatever 
by the people of one generation to be paid by those of another, 
surely the building of schoolhouses is such a purpose. When we 
issue bonds to pay for streets, roads, bridges, sewerage systems, 
courthouses, city halls, or houses and equipment for fire depart- 
ments, we ourselves get the benefit of these, and when streets, roads, 
bridges, and sewerage systems are worn out and must be replaced 
or repaired and the courthouses, city halls, and equipment for 
fire departments are outgrown, our children pay for what we have 
used and probably used up. But when we issue bonds to build 
good schoolhouses for our children, they themselves get the benefit 
of what they must later pay for. By issuing bonds for this pur- 
pose we only enable them to borrow from their future richer selves 
to provide themselves now with that which is essential to their 
welfare but which we feel ourselves too poor to give them out of our 
own pockets. It would seem hardly probable that the thoughtful, 
large-hearted men and women of Lexington will deny to the chil- 
dren this right to live under more comfortable and sanitary con- 
ditions during their school days, and to have the equipment neces- 
sary to enable them to use these school days to best advantage in 
preparing themselves for productive occupations and for the duties 
and responsibilities of citizenship and life. 
Yours, sincerely, 

P. P. Claxton, 

Commissioner. 



FINANCIAL AND BUILDING NEEDS OF THE 
SCHOOLS OF LEXINGTON, KY. 



INTRODUCTION. 

Upon the request of the Board of Education of Lexington, Ky., 
the United States Commissioner of Education detailed three of the 
Bureau of Education specialists to make an analysis of the financial 
and building needs of the school department of that city. Those 
making the study were: 

Frank F. Bunker, Specialist in city school systems, director. 
Alice Barrows Fernandez, Specialist in social and industrial 

problems. 
Fletcher B. Dresslar, Specialist in school architecture , sanitation, 
buildings, and equipment. 
This report falls into three parts: 

Chapter I. Financing the school department of Lexington, Ky. 
Chapter II. An analysis of the building problem. 
Chapter III. The care of buildings and of equipment. 



Chapter I. 
FINANCING THE SCHOOL DEPARTMENT OF LEXINGTON. 

1. THE PROPORTIONATE AMOUNT WHICH LEXINGTON EXPENDS 

UPON HER SCHOOLS. 1 

In 1917 on every $1,000 worth of property valuation property 
owners in the city of Lexington paid $17.50 to the city, $5.50 to the 
State, and $5 to the county, making a total for the year of $28 per 
thousand. Of the amount collected the city expended the sum of 
$509,803, or $12.40 per capita of population (see Census Bureau, 
Table No. 13) on its several departments, including the schools. It 
will be instructive to see how this amount of $12.40 per capita was 

1 In order that comparisons among cities of Lexington's population group can be made, 
the latest published figures are taken, i. e., of the fiscal year 1917, as compiled by the 
U. S. Census Bureau and published under the title, " Financial Statistics of Cities Hav- 
ing a Population of over 30,000. (1917.)" 

139605—19 2 9 



10 



THE SCHOOLS OF LEXINGTON, KY. 



distributed and to learn what proportion went to the schools, and 
also to learn what 90 other cities with between 30,000 and 50,000 pop- 
ulation (Lexington's group) did similarly with their city incomes. 

The table which follows shows how the schools of Lexington fare 
in comparison with the police department, the fire department, the 
street department, and the other important departments of Lexing- 
ton's city government in the division of the $12.40, and it also shows 
how Lexington compares in this distribution with the average of the 
cities of her class, 91 in all. 

Distribution of dtp expenditures (1917). 



Purposes. 



General government 

Police department 

Fire department 

Conservation of health 

Street department 

Charities, hospitals, and corrections 

The schools 

Libraries 

Recreation 

All other purposes 

Total per capita expenditure . 



Lexington. 



$1.41 


$1.19 


1.36 


1.20 


2.04 


1.49 


1.10 


1.31 


1.45 


1.75 


.79 


.51 


8.66 


MS 


.15 


.21 


.26 


.43 


.18 


.45 



12.40 



Average 
of 91 
cities. 



13.97 



While this table helps us to see where Lexington stands in rela- 
tion to her own departments and also how she compares with the 
average expenditure of the 91 cities of her class, yet, because her total 
expenditure is less than the average expenditure of her group, an- 
other table is needed to make her rank in these matters perfectly clear, 
and that is a table showing the proportion each item bears to the 
entire expenditure. This table follows : 

Proportionate expenditures among city departments. 



Purposes. 




Average 
of 91 
cities. 



General government 

Police department 

Fire department 

Conservation of health 

Street department 

Charities, hospitals, and corrections 

The schools 

Libraries 

Recreation 

All other purposes 



Per 



cent. 
8.5 
8.6 

10.6 
9.4 

12.5 
3.6 

88.9 
1.5 
3.1 
3.2 



It is apparent from this table that, as compared with the cities of 
her class, Lexington's chief interest is in her general government, in 
her police department, her fire department, and in her department 
having to do with charities, hospitals, and corrections. Her interest in 



FINANCING THE SCHOOL DEPARTMENT. 



11 



her streets, in health, in libraries, and in recreational activities is some- 
what less than that of the average of the 91 cities of her group, while 
her interest in her schools, if the proportionate distribution of her 
funds is an indication, lags very far behind the average of her group. 
Less than three-tenths of Lexington's income goes to her schools, 
while the average expenditure for the schools of 91 cities of Lexing- 
ton's population group is greater by nearly one-tenth of their respec- 
tive aggregate incomes. Putting this fact another way, Lexington's 
proportionate expenditure for her schools would have to be increased 
almost one-third (31.9 per cent) to bring her rank up to the average 
only of the 91 cities of her group. 

An examination in detail of each of the cities of the list discloses 
that there are 20 cities, among them being Lexington, in which the 
schools receive less than one -third of the municipal income ; that in 
57 cities the schools' share ranges from one-third to one-half the aggre- 
gate income ; and that in 13 cities the proportion going to the schools 
is greater than one-half the entire income. 

It will be of interest to know the names of the cities taking a one- 
third interest in their schools or less; also to know in what cities 
the interest in the educational activities rises to a level with or tops 
that expressed in the aggregate of their departments of the cities' 
activities. 

Cities which expend one-third or less of their incomes on their schools. 



Cities. 



Lexington, Ky 

Salem, Mass 

Haverhill, Mass . . 

Cheslea, Mass 

Macon, Ga 

Woonsocket, R. I 
Montgomery, Ala 

Butte, Mont 

Galveston, Tex... 
Fitchburg, Mass. . 



Propor- 
tion of 
incomes 
expended 

on 
schools. 



Per cent. 
29.5 
26.0 
31.4 
33.0 
23.4 
28.0 
24.1 
25.3 
21.3 
27.1 



Cities. 



Portsmouth, Va 

Auburn, N. Y. . . . . . 

Niagara Falls, N. Y 

Shreveport, La 

Columbia, S. C 

Lynchburg, Va 

Brookline, Mass 

Waltham, Mass 

Newport, R. I 

Wilmington, N. C. 



Propor- 
tion of 
incomes 
expended 

on 
schools. 



Per cent. 
32.3 
29.7 
28.4 
24.9 
20.3 
25.7 
23.3 
28.1 
26.2 
23.6 



Cities which expend one-half or more of their incomes on their schools. 



Cities. 



Kalamazoo, Mich. . . 

Lincoln, Nebr 

West Hoboken, N. J 

Newcastle, Pa 

Decatur, 111 

Cedar Rapids, Iowa. 



Propor- 
tion of 
incomes 
expended 

on 
schools. 



Per cent. 
52.3 
54.1 
50.5 
51.1 
50.8 
56.4 



Cities. 



Waterloo, Iowa 

Everett, Wash 

Bellingham, Wash. . 

Kenosha, Wis 

Council Bluffs, Iowa 
Norristown, Pa 



Propor- 
tion of 
incomes 
expended 

on 
schools. 



Per cent. 
54.0 
56.2 
63.7 
50.1 
54.0 
60.4 



12 



THE SCHOOLS OF LEXINGTON, KY. 



2. LEXINGTON'S PER CAPITA EXPENDITURE ON SCHOOLS, 
COMPARED WITH CITIES OF HER CLASS. 

The foregoing ranking is based on the proportionate expenditure 
for schools among the several municipal departments of the cities 
considered. It will be of interest to learn where Lexington stands 
in relation to the same cities in amounts, derived from city income, 
•.actually expended in money. 

Again referring to the Census Bureau's figures (Table 13), we 
find that Lexington expended from city sources on her schools $3.66 
per capita of population. Examining the same list of cities again, 
it is seen that 16 only expended this amount or less; 20 cities ex- 
pended from $3.67 to $5 per capita; 44 cities expended from $5 to 
$7.32; while 11 expended $7.32 or more, i. e., twice, or more, the ex- 
penditure of Lexington. The names of the cities having the distinc- 
tion of being in these two extreme groups follow : 

Cities which expended on their schools from city income the same as (or less 

than ) Lexington. 



Cities. 



Lexington, Ky 

Macon, Ga 

Muscogee, Okla.. 
Woonsocket, R. I 
Montgomery, Ala 

Roanoke, Va 

•Charlotte, N. C. 
Norristown, Pa . . 



Amount 

expended 

on 

schools 

per capita 

popula 

tion. 



3.07 
3.06 
3.09 
2.16 
3.20 
3.05 
3.65 



Cities. 



Portsmouth, Va 

Amsterdam, N. Y.... 

Shre veport, La 

Columbia, S . C 

.Lynchburg, Va 

Newport, Ky 

Winston-Salem, N. C 
Wilmington, N. C 



Amount 
expended 

on 
schools 
per capita 
popula- 
tion. 



$2.30 
3.33 
2.90 
2.47 
3.61 
3.04 
2.95 
2.31 



Cities expending on their schools from city income double the amount of 

Lexington or more. 



Cities. 



Pasadena, Calif 

Lincoln, Nebr 

Newton, Mass 

East Orange, N. J... 
New Rochelle, N. Y 
Cedar Rapids, Iowa. 



Amount 
expended 
on 
schools 
per capita 
popula- 
tion. 



$10. 06 
8.33 
10.63 
8.25 
7.70 
8.87 



Cities. 



Mount Vernon, N. Y 

Fresno, Calif 

Stockton, Calif 

Brookline, Mass 

Madison, Wis 



Amount 
expended 

on 
schools 
per capita 
popula- 
tion. 



$9.82 
8.33 
8.22 
8.96 
7.94 



As we have seen, Lexington expended an aggregate from city 
sources for all purposes of $12.40 per capita of population. There 
were 43 cities of the list expending less than this amount and 47 
expending more. We have also seen that; only 15 cities expended less 



FINANCING THE SCHOOL DEPARTMENT. 13 

than Lexington did on her schools and that 75 cities expended more. 
It js clear, then, that while she ranks No. 44 from the bottom in the 
total amount expended for all purposes she ranks No. 16 from the 
bottom in the amount expended on education. 

3. LEXINGTON'S TAX RATE. 

The tax rate of a city always attracts the attention of the tax- 
payers, but there is an important fact about a tax rate which the tax- 
payer does not always take into account. 

Referring once more to the Census Bureau's figures, this time turn- 
ing to Table 32, we find that the property owner of Lexington paid 
for all purposes in 1917 a tax of $28 on every $1,000 of assessed valu- 
ation. Running over the list of 91 cities again, with Lexington's 
relative place in mind, we find that 58 cities paid at a less rate,, 
while 33 paid at a higher rate. If this alone were taken into ac- 
count, it might seem that Lexington's rate was well above the aver- 
age of the cities of the list. But the same table shows that, upon 
the statement of city officials, the assessment roll is only about 60 
per cent of the true valuation of the property. Inasmuch, then, as- 
many cities of the list assess at 100 per cent of value and others at 
only 25 per cent, obviously a fair comparison of rates requires that 
they all be corrected on the basis of a 100 per cent valuation. When 
this correction is made then Lexington's rate, instead of appearing 
as $28 per thousand, is found to be $16.96 per "thousand. 

Now, when the comparison among the cities is made (all cor- 
rected in the same way), it is found that the situation is reversed, 
for there are only 35 cities having a lower corrected rate, while 55' 
cities have a higher rate. 

4. LEXINGTON'S TAXABLE WEALTH. 

The Census Bureau, referring again to Table 32, gives the true 
value, as estimated by city authorities, of the property of the 91 
cities in Lexington's group, which is subject to a general property 
tax. This estimate is given in terms of per capita of population, so> 
that a comparison on exactly the same basis among the cities can; 
easily be made. 

The facts are that Lexington, with a per capita true value of $l,228 v 
as stated therein, exceeds the average of the 91 cities of her group by 
$84 and that only 27 cities of the group have a higher per capita 
property value, while in 63 cities the value of the taxable property is 
less. 

The question naturally arises as to what the cities of this list 
having less taxable wealth than Lexington and which, in conse- 
quence, are less able to support their schools, are actually doing for 



14 



THE SCHOOLS OF LEXINGTON", KY. 



education in comparison with Lexington. The following table gives 
the true valuation of taxable property per capita of population, also 
the amount expended from city sources on their schools of cities hav- 
ing less wealth than Lexington : 

Per capita value of taxable property in Lexington and other cities of less tax- 
able wealth — Per capita expenditures for schools from city sources. 



Cities. 



True 
per capita 

value 

taxable 

property. 



Amount 
expended 
on school 
per capita 

popula- 
tion. 



Kalamazoo, Mich 

Salem, Mass 

Haverhill, Mass 

Bay City, Mich 

McKeesport, Pa 

Huntington, W. Va. . . 

Chelsea, Mass 

Superior, Wis 

Macon, Ga 

Muskogee, Okla 

Woonsocket, R.I 

Montgomery, Ala 

West Hob oken, N. J.. 

Lansing, Mich 

Fitchburg, Mass '.. 

Chester, Pa . . 

Perth Amboy, N. J. . . 

New Castle, Pa 

Lexington, Ky 

Springfield, Mo 

Hamilton, Ohio 

Decatur, 111 

Dubuque, Iowa 

Portsmouth, Va 

Everett, Mass 

San Jose, Calif 

Pittsfield, Mass 

Knoxville. Tenn 

Elmira, N. Y 

Joliet, 111 

Auburn, N. Y 

Niagara Falls, N. Y. . . 

Amsterdam, N. Y 

Lorain, Ohio 

Jamestown. N. Y 

Taunton, Mass 

Oshkosh, Wis 

Waterloo, Iowa 

Fresno, Calif 

Everett, W ash 

Lima, Ohio 

Jackson, Mich 

Austin, Tex 

Boise, Idaho 

Aurora, 111 

Williamsport, Pa 

Joplin, Mo 

Orange, N. J 

Bellingham, Wash 

Colorado Springs, Colo 

Danville, 111 

Kenosha, Wis. , 

Newport, Ky 

La Crosse, Wis 

Councils Bluffs, Iowa . 

Tulsa, Okla 

Ogden, Utah 

Norristown, Pa 

Stamford, Conn 

Zanesville, Ohio 

Waltham, Mass 

Easton, Pa 

Poughkeepsie, N. Y... 
Wilmington, N. C 



897 

959 

557 

928 

1,098 

674 

1,031 

932 

771 

730 

934 

605 

979 

1,005 

776 

571 

900 

1,228 

875 

1,130 

1,015 

986 

684 

858 

1,103 

1,050 

925 

844 

942 

720 

1,149 

719 

1,208 

935 

739 

928 

1,010 

1,052 

783 

1,127 

1,056 

919 

858 

1,219 

711 

840 

698 

810 

1,095 

1,225 

1,116 

676 

863 

921 

1,002 

1,003 

853 

1,180 

997 

1,052 

1,076 

1,192 

1,088 



$5.93 
4.09 
5.54 
6.00 
5.25 
4.15 
4.95 
5.52 
3.07 
3.06 
3.09 
2.16 
5.28 



■8.66 
4.43 
4.50 
5.52 
4.16 
2.30 
5.88 
7.02 
6.94 
4.37 
6.22 
6.47 
4.34 
5.70 
3.33 
4.28 
5.57 
5.24 
5.24 
5.74 
8.38 
6.14 
4.24 
5.28 
4.32 
5.36 
5.23 
4.87 
4.73 
6.55 
5.99 
7.03 
5.13 
6.30 
3.04 
6.03 
6. .08 
6.21 
6.27 
3.65 
6.93 
3.87 
4.98 
4.91 
5.28 
2.31 



FINANCING THE SCHOOL DEPAKTMENT. 



15 



The foregoing table shows the striking and significant fact that, 
whereas every one of the 63 cities listed is poorer than Lexington in 
taxable property, all but 9 are expending more of the money derived 
from city sources on the education of their children than is Lex- 
ington. These 9 follow : 

The only cities having a lower property valuation expending less than Lexington 

on their schools. 



Cities. 



Lexington, Ky 

Portsmouth, Va... 
Amsterdam, N. Y 

Newport, Ky 

Norristown, Pa 

Wilmington, N. C. 

Macon, Ga 

Muskogee, Okla... 
Woonsocket, R. I. 
Montgomery, Ala. 



Property 

value 
per capita 
popula- 
tion. 



$1,228 
684 
719 
676 
853 
1,088 
932 
771 
730 
934 



Amount 
expended 
on schools 
per capita. 



$3.66 
2.30 
3.33 
3.04 
3.65 
2.31 
3.07 
3.06 
3.09 
2.16 



5. LEXINGTON'S INVESTMENT IN SCHOOL BUILDINGS AND HER 

BONDED INDEBTEDNESS. 



Once again there is clear evidence that Lexington has been a lag- 
gard in her group of cities for, in providing physical equipment for 
the education of her children, the value of the permanent invest- 
ment she has made in buildings, land, and equipment for school pur- 
poses reached, in 1917, only $379,468, whereas the average invest- 
ment of the cities of her class in these items was $897,890. That is to 
say, if Lexington immediately doubled her 1917 investment in land 
and buildings and then added one-third more to it, she would just 
reach the average investment made by the cities of her class in school 
buildings, land, and equipment. The proposed bond issue of 
$400,000 to be invested in land and buildings, if added to the 1917 
school valuation, would still leave Lexington $117,000 short of the 
average of the 91 cities of her group. Only 3 cities out of the 91 
have less invested in their schools than Lexington (1917 figures). 
These cities are Portsmouth, Va., $276,000; Winston-Salem, N. C, 
$318,612; and Amsterdam, N. Y., $379,346. In the matter, then, of 
her investment in her schools Lexington is seen to stand No. 4 from 
the bottom of the list of 91 cities. She misses being No. 3 by only 
$123. 

Naturally when plans are being made for bond issues and for in- 
creasing the operating expenses of a city, the outstanding obligations 
of the city should be taken into account. In this particular, again, 
Lexington is seen to be much below the average of the cities of her 



16 THE SCHOOLS OF LEXINGTON, KY. 

class. Table 28 of the Census Bureau's Financial Statistics of Cities 
shows that the net debt of the city of Lexington at the close of 1917 
was $30.72 per capita of population, whereas the average per capita 
debt for the 91 cities of Lexington's group was $41.55. In a third of 
the cities only was the net debt less than that of Lexington. Were 
Lexington, therefore, to increase her 1917 indebtedness 35.2 per cent, 
she would then have merely reached the average indebtedness of her 
group. 

As to Lexington's outstanding bonded indebtedness for school 
buildings, she is again very much below the average of the cities of 
her class. In 1917 the school bonds outstanding in Lexington 
^mounted to $236,000 (see Table 29, Census Bureau, Financial Sta^ 
tistics of Cities). The average for the cities of Lexington's class was 
$401,770. Only 26 cities of the list had a smaller unpaid debt for 
school buildings, while 64 had a greater bonded indebtedness. 

6. LEXINGTON'S ACCOMPLISHMENT IN SPITE OF HANDICAPS. 

Despite these financial handicaps, however, the survey commission 
has been surprised at every turn to see what has been accomplished 
in Lexington in laying the foundations of a progressive school sys- 
tem. And particularly was it struck by the fact that Lexington, in 
contrast to many cities of the South, has made no discrimination in 
its school facilities between the whites and Negroes. It is evident 
that a sincere attempt is being made to put into effect that wise pro- 
vision of the Kentucky law : 

" Colored schools shall be entitled to the same benefits ; be 
governed by the same rules and regulations, and be subject 
to the same restrictions as the schools herein provided for 
the white children." 
Open-air schools ; the penny lunch ; a community center school with 
swimming pool, showers, and auditorium; manual training and do- 
mestic economy in the fifth and sixth grades of all schools; rest 
rooms for senemic and poorly nourished children ; opportunity classes 
in some of the schools for irregular children; a junior high-school 
organization throughout; kindergartens in all white schools and in 
some of the Negro schools ; laundries in the basements of schools for 
the use of both children and parents; moving-picture apparatus in 
some schools; the opening of the buildings to the uses of citizens; 
and, for the most part, clean and well-kept buildings are some of the 
things which belong in progressive school systems and which the 
school authorities of Lexington have secured in the face of a very 
meager school income. Thus again the statement is vindicated that 
vision and good management go far toward compensating for a thin 
purse. 



FINANCING THE SCHOOL DEPARTMENT. 17 

7. SALARIES OF SCHOOL EMPLOYEES. 

While the school department, handicapped as it has been for lack 
of maintenance, has done admirably in incorporating in her school 
organization those special activities which have won a place in every 
progressive school system, nevertheless it must be said frankly that 
many of these features have come at the expense of the salaries of 
the corps of school employees. In many of the activities of the 
department more money is required, but in no place is it more needed 
than in rendering the financial condition easier under which the 
various groups of school employees are working. An examination 
of the salary schedule now in effect follows: 

Annual salary schedule of school employees (1919), 

Superintendent of schools $3, 000 

Secretary and business director 2, 200 

Assistant to secretary 600 

Kindergartens ("Primary Circles"). 

Principals 700 

First assistants 500-600 

Second assistants 450-550 

Elementary Schools (tohite). 

Principals : 

Harrison, Johnson, Dudley, Maxwell, and Ashland Schools 1,300 

Lincoln School 1, 250 

Arlington School li 1, 200 

Teachers : 

First and second grades 550-700 

Third, fourth, fifth grades 550-750 

Sixth grade 550-800 

Substitutes ._ 400 

Elementary schools (colored). 
Principals : 

Constitution School . 1, 000 

Patterson School 900 

Booker Washington School (principal supervises manual training). 1, 000 
Teachers : 

First, second, third, and fourth grades 450 

Fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth grades 500- 

Substitutes .__ - 300 

High schools (white). 

Principals: 

Senior High School _________„ - 2, 000 

Assistant principal 1, 050 

Junior High School 1,600 

Teachers : 

Senior High School „=_ .__ ,__ 900 

Junior High School — — .__ _ 800 

139605—19 3 



18 THE SCHOOLS OF LEXINGTON, KY. 

High schools (colored). 

Principal Russell School $1,400 

Teachers 550 

Supervisors and special teachers (white schools). 

Supervisor mnnual training ._ . 1, 100 

One first assistant . . 800 

One second assistant '. 700 

One second assistant '. G50 

One second assistant r 550 

Supervisor domestic science . 1, 100 

First assistants ^ 800 

Second assistant . . G50 

Supervisor of music . 1, 100 

Assistant ^_ 500 

Director of orchestra 300 

Supervisor physical training 950 

Assistant 700 

Pianist ,-. 400 

Pianist _ 300 

Supervisor of drawing 000 

Assistant _. _ 550 

Supervisors and special teachers (colored schools). 

Assistant manual training 450 

Supervisor domestic science 550 

Assistants : 450 

Supervisor of music t GOO 

Special officers. 

Truant officer _ . 1, 100 

Assistant (colored) 450 

Supervisor penny lunch 100 

Supervisor detention home 150 

School carpenter __ 1, 000 

Janitors. 

Senior High School, with two assistants ; I, GOO 

Junior High School 1,300 

White elementary schools: 

Harrison, Dudley, Johnson, Maxwell, and Ashland Schools 800 

Lincoln School — 

One 700 

One 850 

Arlington School • GOO 

Colored schools : 

Kussell School 550 

Constitution School 500 

P;itterson School 450 

Booker Washington School 500 



FINANCING THE SCHOOL DEPARTMENT. 



19 



THE TEACHERS' SALARY SCHEDULE. 

It will be observed that, according to the foregoing schedule, ele- 
mentary white teachers are receiving salaries ranging from $550 to 
$800; the teachers of the junior high school, $800; and the teachers 
of the senior high school, $900. Negro teachers rereive much less, 
$450 and $500 in the case of elementary teachers and $550 in the case 
of high-school teachers. A comparison of these salaries with the 
schedule of even other southern cities, which in turn are much below 
cities of the West and North in salaries paid, shows that it is high 
time that Lexington revise her schedule. The following table 
shows how far Lexington is below southern cities in this matter: 

Salaries of teachers in southern cities. 



Cities. 



Memphis, Term.. 
Charleston, S. C. 
Columbia, 8. C... 
Nasrnille, Term.. 

*.l I'aso, Tex 

Galveston, Tex.. 

Houston, Tex 

Pan Antonio, Tex 

Waco, Tex 

Lynchburg, Va. . 
Richmond, Va... 

Roanoke, V'i 

Wheeling W. Va 
Rinningham, Ala 
M mteomery, Ala 

Atlanta, Ga* 

Augusta, Ga 

Savannah, Ga 

Newport, Ky 

Louis\ ille, Ky . . . 



Elementiry 
teachers. 



$720 $1 



600- 

4P5- 

720- 

510- 

4*0 

720- 

6°0- 

550- 

600- 

450- 

855- 

5'0- 

6 0- 

660- 

4F0- 

495- 

500- 

550- 



,1-0 
450 
TOO 
855 

1,000 
9.'5 

1,080 

1,0*0 
8<0 
850 

1,015 
765 

1,000 
TOO 
8!0 
POO 

i,o:o 

945 
865 
900 



Hi^h-school 
teachers. 



$1,1-10 



881- 
1,000- 
850- 
P00 
l,0 l 
8^5- 
750- 
700- 
750- 

l.roo 

800- 
810- 

pro- 

1,000 
650- 

800- 
750- 



51,4-10 
7:<8 
1.2C0 
1,5 
1.T00 
1,776 

i.roo 

1 , cos 

l.COO 
1 . 650 
1,400 

l , : 05 

l.COO 
1 . MM) 
1,900 
1,725 
1,^00 
2,: 00 
1 , : J 50 
2,000 



A comparison of the salary schedule for Lexington school em- 
ployees with the schedules of other city and Federal employees of 
Lexington discloses the following interesting facts: 

Some Lexington teachers are receiving less salary than are street 
hands, policemen, and firemen.. 

The principals of the schools receive only as much as first-grade 
patrolmen and firemen, while in instances street hands at $78 to 
$104 a month actually get more money than some of the principals 
and in almost all cases mare than the highest-paid grade teachers. 

In the revenue and postal service there are none paid less thai* 
teachers except the janitors, for the clerks and carriers receive from 
$1,000 to $1,500 per year and the revenue clerks and other officials 
even better pay. 

To quote a statement of a Lexington citizen on this comparison: 

If an educated man comes to Lexington to live, it would actually pay him 
to become a policeman or a fireman rather than a teacher; or he might get 
a job with McCorkle as a street hand and do almost as well. If he got to 



20 



THE SCHOOLS OF LEXINGTON, KY. 



be a foreman of street hands, he would do even better, for they get $5 a 
day. 

Commissioner Wood Dunlap's park employees receive $10 a month more than 
teachers entering the profession who are paid $55 a month. Park policemen 
receive $27.50 per month more than these teachers. 

It is little wonder when one takes a square look at the figures that there 
are only two men in the teaching corps in Lexington, and one of these is the 
superintendent of schools. 

A compensation which can be considered adequate for a teacher 
must cover the following items at least: (1) Clothing and sub- 
sistence; (2) medical and dental care ; (3) life insurance; (4) family 
support or support of dependents; (5) social and professional 
growth; (G) incidentals; (7) establishing a reserve. 

To meet these needs and also to make certain that teachers shall 
constantly make the effort to improve themselves and when made 
that this effort shall be given a tangible reward in terms of salary , 
the following salary schedule is prepared as a goal which Lexing- 
ton should earnestly seek to reach at the earliest possible moment : 

Proposed teachers* salary schedule. 





Length 
of time 
of ap- 
point- 
ment 
(years). 


Salary schedule for each group. 


Yearly 

salary 

increase. 


Year In 


Teachers. 


Elementary. 


Secondary. 


which 

group 

maximum 




Mini- 
mum. 


Maxi- 
mum. 


Mini- 
mum. 


Maxi- 
mum. 


can be 
reached. 


1. One-year teachers (proba- 
tionary) 


1 
3 
5 


$1,000 
1,225 
1,450 
1,700 


$1,150 
1,375 
1,650 
2,000 


$1,200 
1,425 
1 , 650 
1,900 


$1,350 
1,575 
1,850 
2,200 


$75 
75 
50 
50 


Third. 


2, Three-vear teachers 


Do. 


3. Five-vear teachers 


Fifth. 


4. Permanent teachers. ........ . 


Seventh. 







1 Until retired. 

When the maximum of each group is reached, the following alternative 
courses should be open to the board of education : 

1. Termination of the contract (permissible each year in group No. 1). 

2. Reappointment annually at the group maximum. 

3. Promotion to the next higher group. 

The promotion from group to group beyond that of the three-year teachers 
should be granted only to those who have shown special merit and have given 
evidence of valuable professional study. To satisfy the latter condition the 
board might require the candidate for promotion to spend a year in study at 
some recognized college or university, or a year in teaching in rome good school 
system in another part of the country, or perhaps a year in study and travel 
combined. In this connection a system of exchanging teachers might easily be 
established between Lexington and other cities to their mutual advantage. 

THE SALARY OF NEGRO TEACHERS. 

It seems to us that, in arranging a schedule of salaries for Negro 
teachers, account should be taken of the qualifications required for 



FINANCING THE SCHOOL DEPARTMENT. 21 

admission to the corps and of retention therein. If, in matters of 
education, professional training, and experience Negro teachers are 
held to the same requirements as are the white teachers, then we 
can see no good reason for paying them at a less rate. At present it is 
true that, in Lexington, as with most places where Negro teachers 
are employed, the standard required of Negro teachers is lower than 
that for white teachers, which fact of course justifies a difference 
in the rates paid just as the difference in the qualifications required 
of elementary white teachers and of high-school white teachers jus- 
tifies a difference in their schedules. As rapidly as well-trained 
teachers are available, however, the standards demanded of Negro 
teachers, as well as of white teachers, should be raised. When this 
is done the staff would recommend that the foregoing salary schedule 
be made operative for both and that both be made eligible to the same 
promotions each within his own field of activity. 

A PLAN FOR FIXING THE SALARIES OF JANITORS. 

For 15 years or more Boston has had a plan for determining the 
schedule of salaries for janitors, which has worked satisfactorily 
and which has been adopted widely. According to this plan com- 
pensation is allowed on five items: (1) Cleaning; (2) heating, venti- 
lating, and superintendence; (3) washing of windows; (4) care of 
yards and sidewalks;; (5) care of lawns. 

In fixing compensation for cleaning, the cubic contents of a build- 
ing are computed in accordance with the rule of the National 
Association of School Accounting and Business Officials, and 
indorsed by the American Institute of Architects. Compensation, 
based on this item, is reckoned at the rate of 4 mills for the first 
10,000 cubic feet; 3.8 mills for the second 10,000 cubic feet; 3.6 mills 
for the third 10,000 cubic feet, and so on as per schedule up to the 
total cubic contents of the building. 

In fixing compensation for the second item, " Heating, ventilation, 
and superintendence," the cubic contents of the building is also 
used as a basis except that buildings are classified into three groups 
depending upon the type of heating system used, some requiring 
more attention and skill than others. For " Class A " buildings the 
compensation runs 5 mills for the first 10,000 cubic feet, 4.7 mills 
for the next 10,000 cubic feet, and so on, as with the item of " clean- 
ing." The heating, ventilation, and superintendence of "Class B" 
and " Class C " buildings are compensated for at a lesser rate. 

Compensation for " washing of windows," the third item, shall 
be on the basis of the total area of the sashes and at the rate of 
5.5 mills per square foot for one washing on both sides. Additional 
washing per year when ordered by the board shall be at the same 



22 THE SCHOOLS OF LEXINGTON, KY. . 

rate, which also applies to all windows, transoms, doors, and doors in 
permanent bookcases in the building. 

The fourth item, " Care of yards and sidewalks," shall be on the 
basis of their total area and at the rate of 3 mills per square foot. 
So also with the item, " (/are of lawns," except that the rate allowed 
is 3.3 mills per square foot. 

The annual salary of each janitor shall be arrived at by applying 
the rates of compensation for cleaning, heating, ventilation, and 
superintendence to the cubic contents of the buildings, and by apply- 
ing the rates of compensation for washing of windows and the care 
of yards, sidewalks, and lawns to the several areas. The total of the 
amounts shall constitute the annual compensation for janitor service. 

This schedule does not include compensation for evening schools, 
school centers, vacation schools, playgrounds, and lectures or con- 
certs, for each of which additional compensation is allowed. 

A schedule of salaries worked out in accordance with some such 
plan as this would be much fairer than the usual haphazard method 
of determining the amount; furthermore, such an analysis of the 
duties of janitors as the plan entails would make it easy for the 
board to determine the amount of help which each needs in order 
properly to care for their buildings. 

A brief examination of this matter led to the conclusion that, for 
the most part, Lexington school janitors are overworked and under- 
paid and that a reorganization of their duties and of their wages is 
needed. 

A " SCHOOL " FOR JANITORS. 

School janitors, like most people who work for the public, are 
rarely appreciated at their true worth. Few persons have any idea 
of the qualifications which ought to be required for the office. In 
fact the impression is very general that " almost anyone will do for 
school janitor." 

Very little has been written which will aid the janitors in their 
work, and there is scarcely a school or college in the United States 
that offers the kind of training they need. Their relation to other 
departments of the school organization has never been satisfactorily 
determined; and their qualifications have never been properly stand- 
ardized, so that a school board might know what constitutes a good 
school janitor or that janitors can know wherein they fall short of 
what is expected of them. 

In a few cities in the West, notably Portland, Oreg., Berkeley and 
Oakland, Calif., " schools " for janitors have been conducted which 
the janitors are obliged to attend. 



FINANCING THE SCHOOL DEPARTMENT. 23 

These "schools" comprise a series of lectures given by experts 
called in for the purpose, each lecture being followed by a free dis- 
cussion. 

The following list of lectures, as given in Oakland, Calif., in 
1917, indicates the nature as well as the value of such a "school": 1 

1. What the board of education exppcts of the custodian. 

2. What the superintendent expects of the custodian. 

3. What the business manager expects of the custodian. 

4. Cooperation between the principal and the custodian. 

5. The custodian's relation to the pupils. 

6. The custodian's relation to recreation and social center activities, 

7. The custodian's part in the wider use of the school plant. 

8. Some conditions in the school environment which may affect the child's 

health. 

9. The use and care of the drinking fountains. 

10. How to treat emergencies at school. 

11. Fire prevention and tire control. 

12. Heating and ventilation. 

13. The operation of oil burners. (Oakland schools burn oil for fuel.) 

14. The use and care of steam-heating apparatus. 

15. Automatic temperature regulation. 

1G. The operation and care of school electrical equipment. 

17. The oiling of floors. 

18. By way of review, "Am I a custodian, or only a janitor?" 

THE SALARY OF OTHER EMPLOYEES. 

•A corresponding revision upward of the salaries of all other em- 
ployees of the Lexington school department should be made. 

The superintendent of the schools of a city the size of Lexington 
should be getting $4,500 or $5,000. The business manager of the 
schools ought not to be receiving less than $3,G00. The principals 
of elementary schools ought to have not less than $2,400, and high- 
school principals, with all the responsibility they have to carry, 
ought to have at least $3,G00. The supervisors of the special sub- 
jects taught in the schools should be paid much more than they are 
now receiving; $2,400 is none too much. A truant officer ought cer- 
tainly to receive more than $1,100. The salaries of colored em- 
ployees ought to benefit in liks manner, and if the preparation, 
qualifications, and results required of them are the same as for the 
white employees, group for group, their pay should be the same. 

Lexington can do no better than to make larger investments in 
the faithful men and women who in unusual degree hold the futures 
of her children in their keeping. Money so invested means happy 
and contented* workers and workers relieved in large degree of the 
worries incident to the struggle to make a meager income cover their 

i Hoard of Education (Oakland. Calif.) Bulletin No. 8 (June, 1917), The School Cus- 
toiiiun, His Duties and Responsibilities. 



24 THE SCHOOLS OF LEXINGTON, KY. 

urgent needs. Lexington has so far made a splendid start in lay- 
ing the foundations of an efficient and progressive system of schools. 
Before doing anything else she should give tangible recognition in 
terms of salary increases to the work of the men and women who 

have made the schools what they are. 

I 

i 

8. ADDITIONAL NEEDS. 

In addition to the foregoing changes in salaries Lexington, as 
rapidly as it is possible to accomplish it, should provide the follow- 
ing items: 

1. When the teachers in a given department of the high school 
reach three or four in number they should be organized as a de- 
partment with a responsible head who shall direct the work of the 
department. 

2. Clerical help for the principals of the larger schools should 
be provided. 

3. Adequate working libraries in each of the schools should be. 
built up. Beginnings have been made, but these libraries are far 
from being adequately equipped. 

4. A man to supervise the physical activities and the athletic 
sports of the boys of the high school should be secured. 

5. More ungraded classes in the schools should be organized. 

G. Special classes with specially trained teachers for subnormal 
pupils should be provided. 

7. A music instructor on full time seems to be needed in the 
high school. 

8. An assistant to the art supervisor is needed. 

9. Extend the kindergarten to all Negro schools. It is now or- 
ganized in all of the white schools. For many reasons the relative 
value of the kindergarten for colored children is greater than for 
white children. 

10. A well-equipped supervisor of all the elementary schools is 
needed. 

11. The establishment of continuation classes, and part time classes 
is needed ; also, evening classes should be reestablished. 

9. INCREASE OF FUNDS IMPERATIVE REQUIRING LEGISLATIVE 

ACTION. 

To continue and extend the well-considered activities of the de- 
partment already begun; to place the salaries of school employees 
where they belong; to equip and operate the new buildings which 
are needed; and to supply the things in addition which must be had 
to make the schools of Lexington fully efficient, demand a considerable 
increase in income. Under present legislative enactment the board 



FINANCING THE SCHOOL DEPARTMENT. 25 

has been given the power of fixing the tax rate for school purposes, 
subject to the statutory limitation of 65 cents for $100 of assessed 
valuation. It has also the power of calling an election of the people 
for the purpose of bonding the city for school buildings, providing 
that at no time shall the outstanding bonded indebtedness for the 
purpose exceed 2 per cent of the assessed value of city property. 
The provision is a wise one, because it places the responsibility upon 
the board of education, which is the body knowing most about the 
schools and their needs. It is probably also wise that a statutory 
limit be placed upon taxation beyond which a board can not go 
without the consent of the people. 

In every growing city, however, there will come times when it is 
impossible longer to conduct the schools with efficiency within the 
financial limits set. This time will soon have been reached in Lex- 
ington, it is clear, and steps should at once be taken to secure an 
amendment to the act under which the schools of Lexington are 
operating whereby the 65-cent limit of taxation and the 2 per cent 
limit for school bonds shall be raised. 

When this shall have been accomplished and money is in hand to 
do generously the things which have herein been suggested, Lexing- 
ton may know that she will have a school system prepared in every 
way to give to her children educational opportunities which are the 
equal of those of any city in this country. That Lexington is per- 
fectly able to afford this is clearly shown in this analysis of her 
financial status; indeed, it is obvious that Lexington can ill afford 
not to do it. 

139605—19 4 



Chapter II. 

AN ANALYSIS OF THE BUILDING PROBLEM. 



Lexington has progressive schools. Throughout the system the 
aim is evidently to socialize the school and make it a real community 
force. In the best schools there are auditoriums, swimming pools, 
libraries, shops, science laboratories, etc., and even in the poorest 
schools there are attempts, often pathetic attempts, to give at least 
some of these activities to the children. The school authorities evi- 
dently constantly keep in mind that education is not a matter of 
reciting lessons merely but of " learning by doing " through whole- 
some, healthful activity. 

But these attempts to make the schools of Lexington meet the 
needs of the children are carried on in the face of great practical 
difficulties — -insufficient and inadequate buildings and insufficient 
funds. Lexington is not putting the investment into her schools 
which the children of the city and the progressive character of the 
schools deserve. In fact, she is spending far less on public educa- 
tion than the average city of her size. 

THE BUILDING PROBLEM STATED. 

Lexington's building problem would not be difficult to meet if 
the school budget had kept pace with school needs. For example, in 
1912 there were 4,986 children enrolled in the Lexington schools. 
In 1910 there were 6,079, an increase of 1,096, or 156 a year. Ob- 
viously, this increase in enrollment is not so great but that it should 
be an easy matter to keep pace with it. But it is not an easy matter 
for Lexington now, because even in 1912 the buildings were inade- 
quate for housing the pupils. For example, in that year there were 
9 elementary schools, and only 3 of them had sufficient sittings to 
accommodate the enrollment. 1 Since 1912, only 3 new buildings have 

1 Capacity estimated on the basis of 40 pupils to a class, which, it is understood, is the 
maximum desired by the Lexington school authorities. 

-26 



ANALYSIS OF THE BUILDING PROBLEM. 27 

been erected — the Ashland School, the High School, and the Booker 
Washington School — and the Ashland School did not have sufficient 
sittings for its enrollment the year it was built. 

Lexington's problem, therefore, is not merely to meet the present 
needs but to plan a comprehensive building and school finance pro- 
gram which will not only take care of present congestion but pro- 
vide for future growth so that the city may not be in the same situa- 
tion at the end of another seven years. In order to work out such 
a program it is necessary that Lexington ask itself the following 
questions : 

What has been the rate of increase in the school population over a period 

of years? 
Is this increase likely to remain constant, or to become less or greater? 
Where is the congestion greatest? 
In what direction is the tide of population moving? 
What is the present condition of the school buildings? Which ones should be 

abandoned? What ones should be repaired? 
How much playground space is needed? 
In order to eliminate present congestion and also provide for future growth, 

how many and what kind of new buildings should be erected, and in what 

parts of the city ; and to what extent can present congestion be relieved 

by reorganization of existing schools? 
What appropriation is necessary to carry out a comprehensive building 

program ? 

PRESENT SCHOOL CONGESTION GREATEST IN FOUR SCHOOLS. 

That congestion is usually concentrated in particular sections of 
the city and that consequently buildings should be put up only after 
a careful study of the trend of population is well illustrated by the 
Lexington schools. For example, at the present time, in the seven 
elementary white schools there is a total enrollment of 3,450 1 and a 
seating capacity of 3,040; that is, in seven schools there are 410 
children without seats, but more than half of them (234) are found 
in two schools, the Maxwell and the Dudley. 

1 Omitting the Model school, which is not housed in an elementary school building. 



28 



THE SCHOOLS OF LEXINGTON, KY. 



Net public school enrollment by schools, 1912 and 1919; capacity of school 
buildings; number of regular classrooms; number of pupils in excess of 
seating capacity; number of classrooms required. 



Names of schools. 


Capacity, 

on basis 

of 40 per 

class. 


Net enrollment. 


Excess of 

pupils 

over 

seating 

capacity. 


Number 
of avail- 
able class- 
rooms. 


Total 
class- 
rooms 
required. 


Excess 
class- 
rooms 


1912 


1919 


required 
over those 
available. 


White elementary. 
Arlington 


280 
320 
560 
480 
560 
280 
560 


255 


280 
360 
646 
460 
622 
374 
708 



40 
85 

*20 
62 
94 

148 


7 
8 
14 
12 
14 
7 
14 


7 
9 
17 
12 
16 
10 
18 





Ashland 


1 


Dudley 


638 
647 
822 
142 
801 


3 


Harrison 





Johnson 


2 


Lincoln ; . . . 


3 


Maxwell 


4 






Total 


3,040 


3,305 


3,450 


410 


76 


89 


13 






Colored elementary. 
Booker Washington 


240 

480 

320 

2 380 




185 
531 
339 
493 


155 
51 
19 

113 


6 

12 

8 

(2) 


5 

14 

9 





Constitution 


442 
337 
523 


2 


Patterson 


1 


Russell 










Total 


1,420 


1,302 


1,548 


128 
















Total elementary schools, white 
and colored 


4,460 


4,607 


4,998 


538 
















High schools, white. 
Junior High School 


440 




611 
332 
138 


171 


11 


16 


5 


Senior High School 


379 




Model School 


























Grand total 




4,988 


6,079 























1 Number of surplus seats. * 

2 Capacity can not be estimated on the basis of 40 pupils per classroom because some rooms will accomo - 
date only 15 pupils. The number given represents the actual number of sittings available. 

In the colored, schools there was an enrollment in 1919 of 1,548 
pupils, with a seating capacity in the four schools of 1,420, leaving 
128 children without seats. If the Booker Washington School, which 
has surplus seats, is omitted, it is found that there are 183 children 
without seats in the remaining three schools. Of these, 113 are in the 
Russell and 51 in the Constitution School. 

Obviously, then, the greatest need among the white schools is in the 
neighborhood of the Maxwell and Dudley Schools; while among the 
colored schools relief is most needed in the Russell and Constitution 
Schools. But a building may not be badly overcrowded and yet be 
unfit for classroom accommodation. Such is the case in the Arling- 
ton School. Moreover, there are indications that the population is 
likely to increase in that neighborhood since the city limits have been 
extended to the north. Therefore, Arlington should be added to the 
list of white schools needing immediate relief. 

WHAT SHOULD BE DONE TO MEET PRESENT SCHOOL NEEDS? 

Because of the development of the oil fields in the vicinity of Lex- 
ington, the population of the city is likely to increase much more 



ANALYSIS OF THE BUILDING PROBLEM. 29 

rapidly in the next 10 years than it has in the past. Therefore, this 
is an opportune time for the authorities to work out a school-building 
program which will avoid some of the most serious errors found in 
many city school systems. 

First among these is the mistake of erecting many small buildings 
to take care of only immediate needs, instead of studying the trend 
and increase of population and then erecting buildings sufficiently 
large to provide for not only the present enrollment but future 
growth. Many small buildings dotted over a city mean greater 
expense in upkeep as well as initial cost, and they also mean fewer 
modern facilities for the children. The larger school with more chil- 
dren means that the community can afford to give the children a 
greater variety of facilities. For example, a school of 1,000 or 1,200 
pupils can afford such facilities as an auditorium, shops, gymnasium, 
swimming pool, library, etc., whereas, if the children were housed in 
two school buildings with separate sites, equipment, teaching force, 
janitorial service, and cost of upkeep, the total expense would obvi- 
ously be far greater. In other words, the city has something to learn 
from the country in the matter both of the social and financial advan- 
tages of the consolidated school. 

A second error to be guarded against is the temptation to erect 
buildings in a new district before it is clear in just what direction 
the population is tending to concentrate. If there is need of a new 
building, the wisest course is to erect temporary movable buildings 
of a modern type later referred to. These can be used for three or 
four years until it is clear where the new buildings should be lo- 
cated, and until the building is ready for occupancy. 

In the third place, it is important to buy sites of at least one 
block each in the parts of the city where new buildings may not 
be needed immediately, but where it. is clear there will be a demand 
for them in the near future. 

Judged by these standards, it is obvious that Lexington has too 
many and too small school buildings. Thirteen school buildings 
for only G,072 children means an average of only 4G7 pupils per 
building, which is too few to justify expenditure for the educa- 
tional facilities, such as shops, science rooms, swimming pools, audi- 
toriums, and playrooms, which are so necessary in a modern city 
school system. The following recommendations are therefore made 
with a view to formulating a policy which will enable Lexington 
to keep ahead of her school building program : 

1. NEW BUILDINGS. 

For white children, a new school building south of Dudley 
School. — Not only is the Dudley School badly congested at present, 
but there is a rapidly increasing school population south of this 



30 THE SCHOOLS OF LEXINGTON, KY. 

school and the warehouse section below it. In another part of the 
report it is pointed out how present congestion in Dudley can be 
taken care of, but it is here recommended that, in order to relieve 
permanently the Dudley School and also take care of the school 
population in the new residential district, a new school building be 
erected in the section which is south of the Dudley School and the 
warehouse section above referred to. 

It is estimated that the present school population in this district 
is 300. In order, however, to relieve congestion permanently in 
Dudley School and provide for growth in the district, a building 
of 12 rooms and auditorium should be erected; this would provide 
for 480 children, but the building should be definitely planned with 
a view to making it ultimately a 2-1-class school, or large enough to 
accommodate 9G0 pupils. 

It is further recommended that, inasmuch as the Junior High 
School is so far removed from this locality, and as there will of 
course be children above the sixth-grade age, this school be made, at 
least temporarily, into an elementary and junior high school com- 
bined. The two organizations could be kept separate, but the chil- 
dren in the lower grades would have the advantage of richer facili- 
ties than could otherwise be given to them, and the older children 
would have a junior high school in their immediate neighborhood. 

It is important that junior high-school facilities be made more 
accessible for the majority of children. It is obvious, however, that 
Lexington can not erect junior high schools at the risk of ignoring 
the needs of the majority of children in congested schools. On the 
other hand, she obviously can not afford at present to erect both an 
elementary school building and a separate junior high-school build- 
ing in each district that needs it. To meet the needs of both groups 
of children, therefore, the school to be erected in the district south 
of the Dudley School should be made into an elementary and junior 
high school combined. 

Only the local authorities can make an accurate estimate of costs, 
but, judging by local conditions, it should be possible to erect such a 
building at a cost of $12,500 per classroom unit. On this basis a 12- 
room building would cost $150,000. The site for building and 
playground — which should be the size of a city block — is estimated 
at $12,000. 

A site east of the Maxwell School. — The population is increasing 
rapidly to the east of the Maxwell and Ashland Schools, but present 
congestion in both these schools can be taken care of for a number 
of years on the plan of reorganization later referred to. Therefore, 
it is now recommended that a site be bought immediately to the east 
of the Maxwell School, upon which a building can later be erected. 
The cost estimated at $15,000. In order to take care of both the 



ANALYSIS OF THE BUILDING PROBLEM. 31 

elementary school pupils and junior high-school pupils in the district, 
it is suggested that the building be planned to accommodate, for the 
time being, both groups on the plan just referred to. This means 
that when another appropriation, following the one now contem- 
plated is secured there would be three junior high schools in the 
city — one south of the Dudley School, one east of the Maxwell and 
Ashland Schools, and the present Junior High School. 

For colored children, a new building for Russell and Constitution 
Schools. — Both the Russell and Constitution buildings are old and 
really not fit for use in a modern school system. Their combined 
enrollment is 1,024 pupils — 193 in the Russell School, 1 of whom 114 
are high-school pupils, and 531 in the Constitution. Both schools 
are in great need of relief — the Constitution, because the building 
is old and because the enrollment is increasing in this school more 
rapidly than in any other colored school ; and the Russell, because 
though the enrollment is not increasing, the building is old and 
badly overcrowded. "What should be done is to combine the two 
schools and erect a 30-class school building (1,200 pupils). This 
would take care of the present enrollment of both schools and allow 
for a growth of about 200 pupils. It should be situated near the 
Constitution district, since it is in this locality that the Negro 
school population is increasing most rapidly. The building should 
be of the modern type, with auditorium, gymnasium, manual-train- 
ing shops, cooking room, drawing room, science room; and there 
should be half a block of playground space; in fact it should be a 
community center for the Negroes of that district. This school 
should be a combination of the elementary and high-school grades. 

The fact is, however, that owing to statutory limitations, it is 
impossible for Lexington at this time to secure a bond issue exceed- 
ing $400,000. This means that it is impossible to erect at present 
as large a building as is necessary to relieve conditions in both th© 
Russell and Constitution schools. It is therefore recommended that 
the present Russell School building be used for the high-school 
pupils (114), and that a new building of 12 rooms and auditorium 
be built to take care of the elementary-school pupils (379). This 
school should be ereceted near the Constitution School district and 
should be planned with a view to its becoming a 30-class school 
with the next building appropriation. Such a 12-room building, 
at $12,500 per classroom, would cost $150,000; the site is estimated 
at $5,000. 

1 The capacity of the Russell School can not be estimated on the basis of 40 pupils to a 
class since some classrooms have room for only 15 peats. Consequently, on the basis of 
the actual nurrber of seats (3SO) there are at least 113 children in excess of seating 
rapacity, and these are housed in two portable buildings at the rear of the main building. 
Th« building is old, and inadequate for the present school purposes. 



32 THE SCHOOLS OF LEXINGTON, KY. 

2. TEMPORARY ACCOMMODATIONS IX NEWLY DEVELOPING DISTRICTS. 

The Arlington School. — The Arlington School now has a school 
enrollment of 280 pupils. The building is old and totally inadequate 
for school purposes, and should be replaced at the earliest possible 
date by a new building. A number of points have to be taken 
into consideration, however, in planning for this situation. 

In the first place, the city limits have recently been extended in 
this direction and it is uncertain in just what part of the district the 
bulk of the population will settle; secondly, the number of children 
(280) is hardly large enough to justify the erection of a new building. 

Therefore, in order to relieve conditions in the Arlington School 
for the present, it is recommended that the present classrooms con- 
tinue to be used as classrooms, but that special facilities, such as an 
auditorium, a playroom, and a manual training room and cocking 
room, be erected in the form of modern movable buildings of a par- 
ticularly desirable type. Such buildings can be secured in the fol- 
lowing units: An auditorium 30 by 60 feet, costing approximately 
$2,500; a gymnasium, costing the same amount; a cooking room with 
equipment, $3,000; and a manual training rcom with equipment, 
$2,000. An additional lot for a playground should also be purchased. 

The children in the Arlington School would be much better off 
under this arrangement than in their present congested and cramped 
quarters. When the new building for this district is erected, these 
movable buildings can be transferred to other sections of the city, 
where a similar situation exists, as will always be the case in a grow- 
ing city. Therefore, although buildings of this character are used 
for temporary purposes, they are a permanent asset to any school 
system, since it is possible through their use to take care of temporary 
congestion as the need arises. 

It is further recommended that this school be organized on the 
work-study-play plan of organization now to be described. 

3. REORGANIZATION OF EXISTING SCHOOLS ON WORK -STUDY -PLAY PLAN. 

All the foregoing recommendations, with the exception of that re- 
lating to Arlington School, have to do with the erection of new build- 
ings on the traditional plan of school organization. But it will take 
nearly two years to erect the new buildings and, in the meantime, 
the congestion will continue. It is evident that if the erection of 
new buildings on the usual basis of a reserved seat for every child 
were the only solution of the- school congestion problem, cities aH 
over the country would be facing an almost hopeless situation. For- 
tunately, however, there is another alternative method which has 
already been adopted by some 30 or 40 cities in different parts of 
the country. 






ANALYSIS OF THE BUILDING PROBLEM. 33 

This second method is known as the work-study-play plan. It has 
peculiar advantages for Lexington, since (1) it would relieve the 
situation immediately * in the most congested schools, and do so 
within the financial limits of the city; and (2) it would also enable 
the school authorities to give to the children the modern educational 
facilities — such as auditoriums, shops, and laboratories — which they 
are now making such heroic efforts to provide in spite of lack of 
funds and space. 

The work-study-play plan is primarily an attempt, not so much to 
solve the school congestion problem, as to give children a richer and 
fuller education. It grew out of a recognition of the fact that the 
rapid growth of cities makes the educational problem far more diffi- 
cult than formerly ; in fact, has created a new school problem. 

The education of all children has, of course, always consisted of 
work and study and play, but formerly the farm and small shop 
supplied the opportunity for work and play, and the school needed 
to make provision only for academic study. In those days the en- 
vironment of the average boy and girl furnished an education in 
wholesome activities that developed intelligence, initiative, and in- 
dustrious habits. But during the past 50 years has come the growth 
of modern cities, until now half the population of the country is 
concentrated in them. And the city, with its overcrowding, its fac- 
tories, its office buildings, and apartment houses which go up on all 
available vacant lots, is depriving children of the opportunity for 
the healthy, wholesome work and play which are essential elements 
in their education. The city home or apartment, unlike the farm 
with its many necessities of "learning by doing," can offer few 
educational opportunities in the way of healthful work which de- 
velops the ability to think by attacking problems to be solved. There 
is no planting and harvesting to be done; few, if any, animals are 
to be taken care of; and it is a rare city home that has a workshop 
or laboratory. Yet children until recently have received much of 
their education through the opportunity to handle tools, to take care 
of animals, and to experiment in making and using things. The 
city not only fails to educate children in the right direction; it edu- 
cates them in the wrong direction, for the street, with its dangers to 
the pli3'sical and moral life of children, too often becomes their only 
playground; and street play means education, not in health and 
strength and wholesome living, but precocious education in all the 
vicious side of a city's life. 

For these reasons it has come to be recognized that the city school 
must not only supply the opportunity for study in good classrooms 
under wholesome conditions but it must also return to the children 
the opportunity for healthful work and play which the home no 



34 THE SCHOOLS OF LEXINGTON, KY. 

longer provides. This is evidently the educational philosophy of 
the school authorities of Lexington, for the aim of the whole system 
is obviously to socialize and harmonize the school and make it meet 
the needs of children who are growing up under modern city con- 
ditions. It is recognized that shops and laboratories and play- 
grounds and libraries are as essential as classroom facilities. The 
best examples of this are the Lincoln and Booker Washington 
Schools. It is only to be regretted that such advantages should be 
limited to children in one section of the city. 

The work-study-play plan should be of great value therefore to 
the Lexington school authorities, for it is an attempt to make it 
practicable, both administratively and financially, for school ad- 
ministrators to provide not only classroom accommodations but also 
such modern educational facilities as gymnasiums, auditoriums, 
shops, and laboratories where children may be kept wholesomely 
occupied in study and work and play. 

How the plan works. — Briefly, the plan is this: A school is divided 
into two parts, each having the same number of classes, and each 
containing all the eight or nine grades. The first part, whi.h we 
will call the a A School," comes to school in the morning, say, at 8.30, 
and goes to classrooms for academic work. While this school is in 
the classrooms, it obviously can not use any of the special facilities; 
therefore the other school — " B School ; ' — goes to the special activi- 
ties, one-third to the auditorium, one-third to the playground, and 
one-th : rd is divided among such activities as the shops, labora- 
tories, drawing, and music studies. At the end of one of two pe- 
riods — that is, when the first group of children has remained, ac- 
cording to the judgment of the school authorities, in sihool seats as 
long as is good for them at one time — the A School goes to the play- 
ground, auditorium, and other special facilities, while the B School 
goes to the class room. The method can best be explained, however, 
by applying it to Lexington's own schools. 

Since the need of relief is greatest in the Dudley and Maxwell 
Schools, the following plan is^ recommended for the immediate re- 
organization of these schools. 

Reorganization of the Dudley School on the worh-study-play 
plan. — This school has a seating capacity — on the basis of 40 pupils 
to a class — of 5G0 pupils. Its present enrollment is 046, or 16 clashes. 
In other words, there are 86 pupils, or over two classes, in excess of 
seating capacity. There are 14 regular classrooms; there is also 
1 room used as a physical training room and 1 as a manual train- 
ing room, making a total of 16 rooms. There are as many as 50 
pupils in some rooms. There is no' auditorium. There is outdoor 
playground space at the rear and in front of the school, making alto- 
gether 19,960 square feet of play space, but there is a penny lunch 



ANALYSIS OF THE BUILDING PROBLEM. 3& 

building which occupies some of the front playyard. There is no 
room for an addition or annex on the grounds. 

Under the work-study-play plan, this school would be made into 
an 18-class school, thereby allowing for an enrollment of 720. These 
18 classes would be divided into 2 schools of 9 classes each. There 
are at present 14 classrooms. Nine would continue to be used as 
classrooms. Two of the seven remaining rooms could be made into 
an auditorium ; two into a playroom ; one used as a manual training 
room as at present; one as a cooking room; and one as a nature study 
or drawing room, or for any other special activity desired. It should 
be possible to make the necessary structural changes and also provide 
equipment for the cooking room for less than $10,000. The result 
would be that not only the present enrollment could be taken care of, 
but also provision could be made for an increase of 74 pupils, or 
for growth for two years. 

Reorganization of the Maxwell School on the work-study-play 
plan. — The Maxwell School has a seating capacity of 5G0. Its pres- 
ent enrollment is 708, or 18 classes — i. e., there are 148 pupils in 
excess of seating capacity. There are 14 regular classrooms, a cook- 
ing room, a manual-training rocm, an auditorium now used as audi- 
torium and gymnasium, and classroom. There is indoor play space 
in the basement. 

Under the work-study-play plan this school should be made into a 
24-class school, providing for 9G0 pupils, or an increase of 251 pupils. 
The 24 classes wculd be divided into 2 schools of 12 classes each; 12 
of the 14 classrooms would continue to be used as classrooms, leaving 
two for special activities — nature study or drawing or music — in 
addition to the manual training and cooking room already provided. 
Since no structural changes are needed, and there is plenty of play 
space around the school, and sufficient indoor play space if only one- 
sixth of the schocl plays at once* as it does under this plan, it should 
be possible to make this reorganization with no additional cost, ex- 
cept for whatever increased equipment would be desired under tho 
traditional plan. The present bad congestion could be entirely re : 
lieved, and in addition there would be provision for growth for at 
least five years. 

Organization of the Arlington School on the work-study -play 
plan. — The Arlington School now has 280 pupils, or 7 classes. It 
should be made into a 12-class school (allowing for 480 pupils). 
Six of the 7 classrooms in the existing buildings should continue 
to be used as classrooms. In addition, the following movable build- 
ings should be erected en the school grounds: An auditorium, $2,500; 
an indoor playroom, $2,500; a manual-training room and equipment, 
$2,000; a cocking room and equipment, $3,000; making a total cost of 
$10,000. If this school is run on the work-study-play plan, as recom- 



36 



THE SCHOOLS OF LEXINGTON, KY. 



mended, the present enrollment could be taken care of and growth 
provided for until it is determined where it is desirable to locate the 
new building. 

Under this reorganization on the work-study-play plan all the 
children would have not only the same amount of time for reading^ 
writing, arithmetic, geography, and history as formerly— 210 min- 
utes — but also 50 minutes of play every day, 50 minutes a day of 
auditorium, and 50 minutes a day of shopwork every day in the 
week for a third of the year ; science every day for a third of the year, 
and drawing or music every day for a third of the year. 

The following table gives a possible program for the "A School.'* 
It will be recalled that there are 12 classes in this A school, which 
are divided into 3 divisions of 4 classes each: Division 1, upper 
grades; division 2, intermediate grades; division 3, primary grades. 

The " A School." 





Regular activities. 


Special activities. 


School hours. 


Academic instruction. 


Auditorium. 


Play and physical 
training. 


CooHng, shop, 
s ience, etc. 


8.30- 9.20 


Arithmetic — Divisions 1, 

2,3. 
Language— Divisions 1, 2, 

3. 








9. 23-10. 10 








10.10-11.00 


Division 1 


Division 3 


Division 2. 


11. 00-12. 00 
12.00- 1.00 


Reading— Divisions 1, 2, 

3. 
History and geography — . 
" Divisions 1, 2, 3. 


Endre "A Scho 


ol" at luncheon. 




1.00- 1.50 








1.50- 2.40 


Division 3 


Division 2 


Division 1. 


2.40-3.30 




Division 2 


Division 3 


Division 1. 













The " B School:' 





Regular activities. 


Special activities. 


School hours. 


Academic instruction. 


Auditorium. 


Play and physical 
training. 


CooWn?, shop, 
s ience, etc. 


8. 30- 9. 20 




Division 2 


Division 3 


Division 1. 


9. 20-10. 10 




Division 3. 


Division 2 


Division 1. 


10.10-11.00 


Arithmetic — Divisions 1, 

2,3. 
Language — Divisions 1, 2, 
3. 








11.00-12.00 








12.00- 1.00 
1.00- 1.50 


Fntire "B Scho 
Division 1 


ol" at luncheon. 
Division 3 


Division 2. 


1.53- 2.40 


Reading — Divisions 1, 2, 
3. 

History and geography- 
Divisions 1, 2, 3. 








2.40- 3.30 

















This program represents a change in the traditional method in 
several important points. In the first place, it breaks up the custom 
of having all children in classrooms at the same time and letting 
the classrooms lie idle when the children go to the auditorium, shops,- 



ANALYSIS OF THE BUILDING PKOBLEM. 37 

and playground. In other words, it applies to the public school the 
principle on which all other public service institutions are run — that 
is, the multiple use of all facilities all the time. For example, it is 
evident that our transportation system is made possible because of 
the fact that all people do not wish to ride at exactly the same time ; 
concerts and theaters are made available to many people because one 
person can use another's seat when he does not want to use it ; hotels 
can accommodate thousands of people because they are not run on 
the principle of reserving each room for the exclusive use of a single 
individual during the whole year. On the other hand, the public 
school system has been run on the principle of reserving a seat 
for each child during the whole year. All children have to be in 
school seats from 9 to 12 a. m. and from 1 to 3 p. m. ; all have to go 
home to lunch at the same time; and at 3 o'clock all are dismissed; 
and turned out to play. 

There would, after all, seem to be no good reason why the prin- 
ciple of other public service institutions, i. e., multiple use of facili- 
ties all the time, should not apply to the school, nor any reason why 
all children should be in classrooms at the same time, nor why the 
special facilities should be used only a fraction of the day, provided,, 
of course, that the children receive during the day the required 
amount of academic work. In fact, it is difficult to see how the 
problem of providing enough classrooms, or playgrounds, or audi- 
toriums for the mass of children is ever to be met if all children 
have to be in classrooms at the same time, and if all children have to 
play at once. Moreover, there seems to be no good reason from an 
educational standpoint why children should all have to do the same 
thing at the same time. 

PRINCIPLE OF MULTIPLE USE MAKES MODERN EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES: 

FINANCIALLY PRACTICABLE. 

Fortunately, however, if the principle of multiple use is applied 
to public school facilities, it is possible to provide not only adequate 
classroom accommodations but also auditoriums, gymnasiums, and 
shops for the mass of children. In fact, accommodations may be 
provided in all facilities, if they are in use constantly by alternating 
groups, at less cost than regular classrooms alone may be provided 
on the basis of a reserved seat for every child. For example, in a 
24-class school, under the traditional plan 24 classrooms are needed in 
addition to all the other special facilities. Under the work-study- 
play plan only 12 classrooms are needed. The classroom, however, 
is the most expensive unit in the school, therefore since only half 
the usual number of classrooms is needed, i. e., classrooms in a 
24-class school, the cost of the remainder is released for all the other 
special facilities. 



38 THE SCHOOLS OF LEXINGTON, KY. 

FLEXIBILITY OF THE PROGRAM. 

A program based upon the multiple use of facilities not only makes 
possible modern educational advantages for the children, but it also 
makes it possible to have a flexible program. A study of the different 
types of these schools in different parts of the country shows that it 
is possible for a community to adapt the program to its particular 
needs. For example, it is possible to arrange to have the school begin 
at 8.30, 8.45, or 9 a. m., or any other hour desired. Or, if the school 
begins at 8.30 and certain parents object to having their children 
leave for school so early, it is possible to put these children in the 
" B School," which begins the day with special activities ; in this 
case the children can omit the play period from 8.30 to 9.20 and 
arrive at school at 9.20. Or again, many parents prefer to have their 
children take special music lessons after school. It often happens 
that home work or staying after school interferes with these lessons. 
Under the work-study-play plan it is possible to put such children 
in the " A School " and let them omit the play period or the audi- 
torium in the afternoon from 2.40 to 3.30 p. m. There is, of course, 
no reason why children should not be given credit for these out-of- 
school activities if so desired. Again, a child who is backward in a 
special subject, such as arithmetic, and is being held back in a grade 
because he can not master that subject, can double up in arithmetic 
for a number of weeks by omitting the auditorium period until he 
has made up the work and is ready to go on with his grade. As for 
the special activities, each community and each section of the city 
can have the special facilities which the school authorities and parents 
desire. 

THE SCHOOL TAKES OVER THE STREET TIME OF THE CHILD. 

As has been pointed out, one of the most undesirable elements in 
the life of city children is the street life in which they have hitherto 
spent so large a part of their time. The average city school is in 
session about 180 days in the year. This means that even though all 
the children attended the entire time, they would still be out of 
school 185 days in the year. Obviously, because of the conditions 
of modern city life it is necessary that the school take over some of 
the time now spent by the child on the city streets, especially the 
school year. At present if 10 hours of the 24 are allowed for sleep, 
and 6 for meals and home duties, there still remains 8 hours to be 
accounted for. Even if the children were in school 5 hours every 
clay there would still be 3 hours left, and as is well known these 
hours are spent on the city streets and not always to the child's advan- 
tage. At least one or two of these should be taken over by the school, 
and wholesome activity in work and play provided. 



ANALYSIS OF THE BUILDING PROBLEM. 39 

The work-study-play plan does this by lengthening the school day 
an hour or more as each community may desire, and by offering to 
the children the wholesome activity in shops and laboratories and on 
the playgrounds, which is so essential for them. It should be borne 
in mind, however, that this lengthening of the school day does not 
necessarily lengthen the number of teaching hours of any teacher. 
It is necessary that she be around the building six hours, but she need 
not teach more than five hours. 

TEACHERS REQUIRED. 

The number of teachers required is usually estimated on the basis 
of a teacher to a class. But under the work-study-play plan, instead 
of all teachers doing classroom work, 16 in a 24-class school would be 
academic teachers, two would be playground instructors, one for 
boys and one for girls. Since the usual custom of playground asso- 
ciations is to provide one playground instructor for every 100 or 120 
children, and since there would be only 80 children in each play- 
ground at one time, two instructors would be sufficient. That would 
leave one teacher for the auditorium, and three for the special activ- 
ities. In a school as small as a 21-class school, and with only six 
grades, one teacher should teach both drawing and nature study. 

It is true that, in the case of both the Dudley and Maxwell Schools, 
the plan would necessitate an increase in the number of teachers, 
but not an increase over the number which there should be even on 
the traditional plan of school organization. That is, on the basis of 
40 pupils to a class, there are 17 classes in Dudley School and only 
11 teachers; in Maxwell there are 18 classes and only 10 teachers. 
This means that an appallingly small number of teachers are carry- 
ing a great amount of work — another proof that Lexington should 
increase her school budget so that she may acquire and hold an ade- 
quate teaching force. The reorganization of the work-stucly-play 
plan should prove of great benefit to the teachers, for under that 
system each teacher has a particular line of work to which she gives 
her whole time instead of scattering her time and energies over many 
subjects, some of which she has no interest in, or is even incapable 
of teaching well. For example, under this plan, the academic teach- 
ers teach only academic work — reading, writing, arithmetic, geog- 
raphy, and history; the shop teacher, shop work; the playground 
instructor, playground work, etc. Also, under such a program, extra 
work can not be crowded upon the teacher, since she has an allotted 
time and place for her work. On the other hand, the children have 
the advantage of being taught in each subject by someone who knows 
it and is interested in teaching it. 



40 THE SCHOOLS OF LEXINGTON, KY. 

It is of course desirable to have for the manual training, cooking, 
and other special shop activities, teachers who have made a special 
study of this work. Under any circumstances,. however, Lexington, 
even under the traditional plan, should have a larger teaching force 
if the needs of the children are to be met. In the schools organized 
on the work-study-play plan, therefore, it would simply be necessary 
to see that some of these teachers had the special training referred 
to as they should have in the special work under any system. 

THE JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL. 

It has already been suggested that the new building to be put up 
to the south of the Dudley School should be made into a combina- 
tion elementary school and junior high school, and that the same 
plan be followed in the new building to be erected east of the Maxwell 
School with the next appropriation. In the meantime, since con- 
gestion in the present Junior High School can be eliminated under 
the work-study-play plan of organization, and also provision made 
for growth, it is recommended that such reorganization be put into 
effect immediately. The reorganization could be brought about as 
follows : 

The building now has 11 regular classrooms which could accom- 
modate 30 pupils each. This gives a capacity of 330. Its enrollment 
for the year ending June, 1919, was 611, or 16 classes. There are, 
however, in addition to the 11 regular classrooms, 2 manual training 
rooms, 1 sewing room, 1 cooking room, 1 print shop, 1 science room r 
1 drawing room, 1 typewriting room, and 7 small rooms accommoda- 
ting 25 to 35 pupils each. Ignoring these last rooms, there are in all 
19 rooms. If the school were organized on a work-study-play pro- 
gram, it could be made into a 24-class school which would provide 
for 720 pupils, or an increase of 109 over present enrollment. 
Twelve of the best rooms could be used as classrooms, leaving 
seven rooms for the special activities. There are 17,000 square 
feet of play space, which would be totally inadquate if all the chil- 
dren played at once, but with only one-sixth of the school playing 
at one time there would be sufficient space. 

It should be clearly understood that the work-study-play plan is 
recommended for these existing schools not because of its value from 
an economy standpoint but primarily because it provides richer 
and fuller educational opportunities for children. The inaugura- 
tion of the plan does not clo away with the necessity for new build- 
ings ; it simply makes it possible to get a greater return on the money 
invested in both new and old buildings — a greater return — that is, 
in terms of a richer, more socialized life for the children. 



ANALYSIS OF THE BUILDING PROBLEM. 41 

By reorganizing the Dudley and Maxwell Schools on the work- 
study-play plan, it will be possible for the school authorities to 
study the results, and determine whether or not they wish to organize 
the new schools on the same plan. 

The following statement gives a comparison of what could be 
accomplished with the new buildings under the traditional plan of 
school organization and under the work-study-play plan. The cost 
is the same in both cases, but the number of classes provided for, 
the provision for future growth, and the special activities provided 
are different. 

New buildings, number of classes provided for, provision for growth and 
special activities if the schools are organized on traditional plan of school 
organization. 

1. New building south of Dudley School. 

Estimated number of children of elementary grade in this district at 

present 300 

Number of classes provided for in new building 12 

Number of pupils provided for 480 

Increase in number of pupils provided for 180 

Number of classrooms 12 

Number of special activities , *2 

Cost for 12-room building at $12,500 per classroom unit $150,000 

Site $12,000 

2. New building for Russell School. 

Present elementary school enrollment '. 379 

Number of classes provided for in new building 12 

Number of pupils provided for 480 

Increase in number of pupils provided for 101 

Special activities (*) 

Cost of 12-room building at $12,500 per classroom unit $150, 000 

Site $3,000 

New buildings, number of classes provided for, provision for growth and special 
activities under the worlc — study — play plan of organization. 

1. New building south of Dudley School. 

Estimated number of children of elementary school grade in this 

Jistrict :__ 300 

Number of classes provided for 18 

Number of pupils provided for 2 720 

Increase in number of pupils provided for 240 

Number of classrooms 9 

Number of special activities, 1 shop, 1 cooking room, 1 science room, 
auditorium, indoor play space ( 8 ) 

1 Auditorium and indoor play space. 

2 This would provide not only for the elementary school pupils but for junior high 
school and still allow for growth. 

3 Any special activity can be put in which the school authorities desire. 



42 THE SCHOOLS OF LEXINGTON, KY. 

Cost of 12-unit building at $12,500 per unit : $150, 000 

Site $12,000 

2. New building for Russell Elementary School. 

Present enrollment elementary school , 379 

Number of classes provided for in new building 18 

Number of pupils provided for * 720 

Increase in number of pupils provided for 341 

Number of classrooms . 9 

Number of special activities (1 shop, 1 cooking room, 1 science room, 

auditorium, indoor play space) ( 2 ) 

Cost of 12-unit building at $12,500 per unit $150, 000 

Site 5, 000 

In other words, this comparison shows that the total cost for the 
two new buildings would be the same under both plans ; i. e., $300,000. 
But under the usual form of school organization this expenditure 
would provide for 960 pupils, or 24 classes ; would take care of only- 
two schools — the one south of the Dudley School and the Eussell 
School; and would provide for growth in the first school for about 
three years, assuming that there were not many in the junior high 
school division ; in the second school for only two years. 

On the other hand, the same expenditure under the work-study- 
play plan would provide for 1,440 pupils, or 36 classes; would take 
care of the enrollment in the school south of Dudley School for 
both elementary and junior high school pupils for about seven years; 
and would also (1) provide for both the elementary and high school 
pupils of Russell School, thus eliminating the cost of a separate 
school in the old building, and (2) take care of congestion in the 
Constitution School, and still allow for growth for three years. 

Moreover, under the work-study-play plan three special activities 
in addition to auditorium and play could be provided in each school, 
whereas under the traditional plan only the auditorium and play 
could be provided, or if space were taken for the special activities 
it would cut out any provision for growth. 

In the meantime, the following budget is recommended, based 
upon the fact that owing to statutory limitations it is impossible for 
Lexington at this time to secure a bond issue exceeding $400,000. 

1 It is evident that under this plan of organization the high-school pupils (114) could 
also be accommodated at once in this new building, and also the excess pupils (51) in 
Constitution School transferred to the new building, making a total of 544 in the build- 
ing, which would still allow for a growth of 176 pupils, or for four years, until an addi- 
tion could be erected. 

2 Others, if desired. 



ANALYSIS OF THE BUILDING PROBLEM. 43 

SUMMARY. 



The following recommendations are made : 
1. New buildings : 



New 12-room buildings south of the Dudley School $150, 000 

Site 12, 000 

New 12-room building for Russell School 150, 000 

Site 5, 000 

2. Site east of the Maxwell School for building to be erected on the 

bond issue to follow the present one 15, 000 

3. Temporary movable buildings for Arlington School, pending erec- 

tion of new building later when it is clear where congestion is 

likely to be greatest in this district 10, 000 

Site 2, 000 

4. Reorganization of the Dudley and Maxwell Schools and the Junior 

High School on the work-study-play plan. 

Total cost, structural changes in Dudley School 10, 000 

5. Repairs to existing buildings 1 46, 000 

1 See Chapter III. 



Total 400, 000 



Chapter III. 
THE CARE OF BUILDINGS AND OF EQUIPMENT. 



JANITOR SERVICE. 

In the main the janitor service at the several buildings is good. 
We found, however, that the janitor service at a few of the buildings 
and especially at the Booker Washington School is not what it should 
be. At this school the walls and other parts of the building had been 
misused and not kept clean, and the building as a whole is not treated 
with the care it deserves. It is a splendid building and should be 
kept neat and clean and in good repair. A clean, tidy school build- 
ing kept in good condition is an educational agent of great impor- 
tance, and to this end nothing short of the best efforts of principal, 
teachers, pupils, and janitors should be tolerated. A janitor who does 
not see fit to fix things, or who strives always to excuse himself at 
the expense of some one else, is not fit to be in charge of a valuable 
school building. The importance of the janitor service can not easily 
be overestimated. We urge upon the board of education to pay these 
public servants, often badly overworked and unduly appreciated, 
good wages and in return exact from them a high-class service. (See 
Chapter I for suggestions regarding a wage scale.) 

In this connection we wish to call to the attention of the board 
of education that in the basements, attics, and other storage rooms 
there are great numbers of old desks and other pieces of school 
furniture, some in good repair and others in need of repair, that 
ought to be gathered into a central storeroom where they may be 
kept for future needs, or, if they are not likely to be used, to be 
sold. These could be checked in and out by the proper authority 
at the central office, and thus a record would be at hand to supply 
easily and quickly any demand for school furniture. In connection 
with this storage building the department mechanic should have 
a repair shop where useful furniture could be put in repair with 
the least waste of effort. 

We also found that much useless material in the way of boxes, 
barrels, waste lumber, and other junk had accumulated in the build- 
ings. All that is really valuable should be removed to this central 
44 



CAKE OF BUILDINGS AND EQUIPMENT. 45 

storage room and the rest of it destroyed at once. - It is not often the 
janitor's fault that this material piles up, for he, of course, is loath 
to destroy what the department may need somewhere. But all this 
material is in his way, and makes it impossible for him to keep 
his building as tidy and clean as it should be. Besides such accumu- 
lations add a fire hazard to the buildings that might at any time 
help to destroy valuable public property, or even jeopardize the 
lives of the children. We, therefore, respectfully urge that the 
board give serious attention to these facts and the suggested remedy. 
All basements, as well as classrooms, should be kept scrupulously 
clean and free from unnecessary or superfluous materials. 

HEATING. 

So far as we could tell at this season of the year (September 3-7) 
those buildings supplied with steam heat are fairly provided with 
radiation, and the boilers satisfactory. Some of the buildings are 
still heated by common coal stoves, which are no longer satisfactory 
or economical. We recommend that in all buildings which are likely 
to be used for many years yet, that wherever possible a central 
heating plant, consisting of a low-pressure steam boiler and the 
proper radiation, be installed. This will minimize the labor of 
keeping the building clean, the danger from fires, and the cost of 
coal. No hot-air system of heating yet devised will in the long 
run prove satisfactory, for after a very few years of use it will 
leak gas and smoke into the fresh-air ducts and hence into the 
schoolroom, especially when moderate fires are burning. We believe 
that many teachers keep their rooms too warm, to the detriment of 
the health of the children. In this climate, where during the winter 
season the air has a fair degree of saturation, 65 degrees Fahrenheit 
is ample, except in extremely cold weather, when 78 degrees is not 
too high. 

VENTILATION. 

Of course we had no opportunity to observe the ventilation of the 
classrooms, for the reason that schools were not in session. We wish, 
however, to commend the wisdom of the board in leaving out of their 
newer buildings the expensive fan systems which have of late often 
been installed in school buildings. But we wish to impress upon them 
and the teachers the great importance of maintaining a good circu- 
lation of fresh air in the classroom, both for the sake of the health 
of the children and their progress and interest in their studies. 
Since the proper ventilation of the classrooms depends almost entirely 
upon the careful and conscientious use of windows, we urge upon you 
that these be kept in good repair, so the teachers can handle them 
easily and safely, and then sternly demand that ventilation be con- 
stantly maintained. 



46 THE SCHOOLS OF LEXINGTON, KY. 

FLOORS. 

The floors of almost all the older buildings are in rather bad con- 
dition. In our opinion thi§ is due largely to the practice of scrubbing 
the floors with wet mops. This should be discontinued, for this 
method of cleaning will ruin the best of wooden floors. A better 
plan is to use a rather stiff fiber brush to clean the surface from dirt, 
and then to oil or wax the floors and sweep, as is now done, with 
prepared sawdust to keep down the dust. If oil is used, it should be 
used sparingly and spread evenly, so that it will all be taken into the 
pores of the wood, and then be renewed as needs dictate. There are 
no facts to warrant a statement that the proper use of oil on floors 
increases the fire hazard. But we know that it will help to keep down 
the dust, protect the floors from splintering and wearing, and to some 
extent protect the children from disease-producing bacteria. This 
method of handling schoolroom floors will in the end save the time of 
janitors. 

BLACKBOARDS. 

You have been wise in selecting slate for your blackboards. These 
are, in the long run, most economical and satisfactory. But your 
architects have not been properly advised in setting the slates. In 
general, they are all set the same height above the floor throughout 
a building, regardless of the varying height of the children, say, of 
the first and sixth grades. Definite rules have been worked out 
through careful investigations which will guide you aright in all 
these matters, and your architect and builders should be directed 
accordingly. Such rules will enable you to get the best results and 
generally to save money and never increase the cost. 

Blackboards should be set for the first and second grades approxi- 
mately 27 inches above the floor, for the third and fourth grades 30 
inches, for the fifth and sixth 32 inches, for the seventh and eighth 
34 inches, and for the high school 36 inches. In some of the class- 
rooms the teacher has no blackboard at her end of the room. These 
mistakes should be corrected. 

LIGHTING OF CLASSROOMS. 

The most conspicuous and serious mistake made in the planning 
of your present buildings, is that of improper lighting of many of 
the classrooms. Your older buildings were planned and constructed 
before much attention had been given to matters of school hygiene, 
and the prevailing tendency of those days was to put in the windows 
more or less at random, and on two or more sides of the room. In 
addition they were set too near the floors and not sufficiently near 
the ceiling to command the best sources of light and to distribute the 



CARE OF BUILDINGS AND EQUIPMENT. 47 

light most effectively over the room. In your newer and best build- 
ings unilateral lighting has been adopted, but both the orientation 
of the buildings and the height of the windows still show lack of 
regard for the best interests of the children. We wish here to point 
out briefly that as far as possible all classrooms should receive either 
east or west light, and that rooms receiving south light should be 
used for offices, libraries, science rooms, manual-training rooms, and 
other special activities, and that rooms receiving north light only 
should be used for art rooms and drawing rooms. The reasons for 
these demands may be stated briefly as follows : 

A classroom receiving east light has an opportunity of getting a 
full purification by direct sunshine all over the room early in the 
morning, but after an hour or so during the first part of the morn- 
ing session direct sunshine is gone from the room until the next day, 
and the teacher may then roll up the shades and secure full window 
lighting the rest of the day without the disturbance to the pupils of 
direct sunshine. Vice versa, those classrooms lighted through west 
windows have little trouble with direct sunshine on the pupils' desks 
until rather late in the afternoon session, and after school the rooms 
are purified by the sunshine reaching all parts of the rooms. On the 
other hand, in those rooms which get their light through south win- 
dows, the children seated near the windows are on clear days troub- 
led all day long with bright sunshine on their desks unless shades 
are pulled down to relieve them; but when this is done the room 
is often darkened to such an extent that those pupils seated farthest 
from the windows are, seriously handicapped for lack of sufficient 
light*. Besides, when shades are pulled down ventilation through 
the windows is seriously interfered with. These difficulties vex and 
bother the teacher all day long. Furthermore, more than half of 
a classroom, exposed to the south, never gets a ray of direct sun- 
shine and, other things equal, is not so wholesome as one getting a 
full sunning. Of course it is plain that in this climate those rooms 
supplied with northern fenestration get practically no sunlight and 
can not, therefore, receive the wholesome purification of direct sun- 
shine. These in brief are the main reasons why we insist on class- 
rooms, and especially those for the elementary classes, receiving 
their light from either east or west. 

It is plain, then, that every school building should be planned 
to meet these conditions, and that one entirely satisfactory for one 
site may be entirely wrong for another. You can not, therefore, 
use the same plan for a building facing on a street running north 
and south demanded for a building to face a street running east 
and west. And just here may we point out a peculiar local diffi- 
culty you have to meet. In certain parts of Lexington the streets 
do not run with the points of the compass, and since it is customary 



48 THE SCHOOLS OF LEXINGTON, KY. 

to set buildings on lots to face the streets the difficulties of satis- 
factory lighting are multiplied. That is to say, we recommend that 
where you have sufficient room to overcome the rather awkward 
appearance of setting the building askew by parking, you face your 
buildings toward the cardinal points of the compass regardless of 
the direction of the streets. This will be easy to do where you have 
large grounds, but quite difficult and sometimes impossible where 
small lots only are available. But we are assuming that from now 
on all new sites will be amply large to meet these and many other 
essential demands. 

TOILETS. 

You in the main have done very well in demanding and securing 
good plumbing and in having it well cared for. We know that such 
conditions as you have at the Arlington School are not satisfactory 
to you and that you are not satisfied with the old latrines in use 
in several of the schools, for example the Eussell School, and we 
wish to commend you in your effort to make them all sanitary and 
fully acceptable at your earliest opportunity. We wish at this point 
to suggest that it requires not only good plumbing fixtures but a 
good sunny well-ventilated room properly situated to render these 
necessaries both acceptable and sanitary. If you wish to keep your 
toilets sanitary, decent, and to make them educational agencies as 
well, turn in the sunshine and light. Moral questions as well as 
sanitary are involved. We recommend, too, that in the plans for 
your proposed buildings and of any reconstruction of those now in 
use you secure the best advice possible to get these rooms properly 
placed as well as properly equipped. A narrow, deep room with 
only one or, at best, two windows, where the stalls and urinals must 
face away from the light, will always be unsatisfactory even with 
the best plumbing fixtures you can command. The best toilet rooms 
face with the long side toward the windows, and they should re- 
ceive either south, east, or west light, and never the north. The 
reasons for this demand are obvious. We urge you then to see to it 
that in all plans for new buildings or for reconstruction of old 
buildings that toilet rooms be given the attention in the plans they 
deserve. Be sure therefore to get good advice on these particulars. 

COLOR OF WALLS. 

It is our judgment that you have been badly advised with refer- 
ence to the color of the walls of the interior of many of your build- 
ings. Yellow, especially in the shades used, is not a satisfactory 
color, either from an aesthetic point of view or from that of school 
hygiene. It absorbs too much light, has a depressing effect on the 



CAEE OF BUILDINGS AND EQUIPMENT. 49 

unconscious mental state of the children, and does not blend well 
with any sort of furniture or decoration. 

A light gray or a light cream is much better and hereafter should 
be used. These matters have been determined after careful scien- 
tific work, and such conclusions should guide you in the future. 

LARGER PLAYGROUNDS AND SITES FOR BUILDINGS. 

We earnestly recommend that the size of school grounds at the 
buildings now in use be enlarged and that from now on only large 
and well-situated lots be selected for school sites. Keep out of noisy, 
dusty districts, and see to it that buildings are not crowded by fac- 
tories, warehouses, or other objectionable buildings. The best asset 
of Lexington or of any other city is its school children, and they 
should be cared for, not only through love and respect, but also from 
a business point of view. Large playgrounds will reduce court ex- 
penses as well as train the children in a real democracy. 

DRINKING FOUNTAINS. 

The plumbers have yet to learn that little children in the first 
grades of school are not so tall as adults. Hence you will find all 
the drinking fountains set too high for the little folks to drink with 
the greatest ease and comfort. We recommend that you set your 
drinking fountains for the first grades so that the bubble is not over 
2 feet from the floor. They can drink from these more easily and 
safely when they stoop. Some of them are now so high that the 
little folks have to climb on them to be able to drink at all. 

SCHOOL DESKS. 

In quite a number of the classrooms the desks are not properly 
set to give, the children and the teacher the best use of the light. 
Most children are right-handed, and this demands that their desks 
be placed so that they may sit with their left side to the windows 
and with no windows in front of" them. If placed in the opposite 
direction so their right side is toward the prevailing light, they are 
compelled to work when writing with a disturbing shadow on the 
page. If they are seated with their backs to the windows they are 
compelled to work in the shadows of their own bodies. Since Mr. 
Simrall, the business manager, accompanied us and we called his 
attention to these errors in the several buildings, pointing out in 
each case how these conditions could be remedied, no further direc- 
tion in these regards seems necessary. 



50 THE SCHOOLS OF LEXINGTON, KY. 

May we, however, note with our commendation that on the whole 
the desks had been kept clean and were unusually free from scars 
and disfigurements. 

PLANNING SCHOOL BUILDINGS. 

In common with those of many other cities in all sections of our 
country, the older buildings of Lexington are badly planned, er- 
roneously lighted, and for the most part lacking in architectural 
beauty. Much has been done in recent years to put school archi- 
tecture on a scientific basis and to make schoolhouses more attractive 
and more generally useful. School architecture has therefore de- 
veloped into a specialty, and architects who are unacquainted with 
all the school and health demands entering into a modern school- 
house, or who at least are unwilling to be advised by those who 
know these demands, should not be intrusted with the planning of 
future buildings. 

It would burden this report to set forth even briefly all the school 
demands architects must consider in building a schoolhouse, but 
these are available and should be utilized in all future buildings. 

It is expecting too much of the members of a board of education, 
whose business and professions are properly in other fields, to know 
even how to judge plans, let alone to guide architects in making them. 
Furthermore, most superintendents of schools have had too much 
else to do to master the myriad of details of this phase of school 
work, and can not command the time or are not given the authority 
to demand what they know is right. Therefore, we recommend 
that in the proposed building plans, and all those that will mature 
in the future, the services of an architect who is familiar with the 
best demands of schools and the help of some special student of 
schoolhouses from the educational and hygienic side be secured to 
assist the superintendent of schools in preparing plans for consid- 
eration. The custom of calling for competitive plans is* not a safe 
one. It is far better to select an architect and say to him " if you 
will plan a building to suit this site, to come within the means at 
our disposal and to meet both the detailed needs of school life and 
the demands of architectual safety and beauty, we will commission 
you to build it. If these conditions are not satisfactorily met, we 
will be under no obligations to you." 

The Bureau of Education will be glad to give whatever assistance 
it can in this matter. 



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